Aguja Guillaumet - East face
8. Beger-Jennings
8.1 Courrier du Sud
8.2 Terre des Hommes
400m 6a 95º
Jim Jennings and Robert Beger (USA), 8 to 10/3/1979.
Description. It begins up a large couloir in the east face climbing a 95º section to overcome the initial bergschund-serac, then heads left into mixed ground before regaining the ice face to eventually head left again, across more mixed ground to top out 100 meters south of the summit, along the south ridge. The climb has many interesting pitches in both rock and ice, including one tension traverse to gain the central ice face. During the first ascent 16 pitches were climbed.
History. They made two bivies on the way up, one on top of pitch 3 and one on pitch 12. They retreated from the base of the summit pyramid, some 40 meters below the summit itself, after joining the “South Ridge Traverse” route, which Carrington and Rouse had climbed two years earlier. The retreated because they thought the last pyramid would require bolts, but as it turns out it was later climbed without. In 1993 Andy Parkin (UK) and Stephen Koch (USA) climbed much of the same route thinking it was virgin ground. As it turns out their “Terre des Hommes” is not much more than a variation to Beager and Jennings line (see below).
Approach. Rio Blanco to Paso Superior to Glaciar Piedras Blancas, or via Piedra del Fraile to Piedra Negra to Paso Guillaumet.
Pro. whatever you deem appropriate for a long mixed climb...
Descent. Descend via the Amy couloir.
Bibliography. AAJ 1980 p. 598-599; Montagnes Mag #22 p. 21 |
